Bridges No.36 - Chertsey Bridge

Given the relatively high population of this part of the country, the stretch of Thames between Kingston and Staines has very few bridges. There is a long stretch from Walton with no road bridge, until the river reaches Chertsey. This bridge at Chertsey is old in comparison to some of the others further downstream. The present day bridge dates from 1785. But the history of a bridge here goes back much further. Henry VI granted the people of Chertsey a licence to build a bridge in 1410. The Abbot of Chertsey saw that the bridge was built and maintained. It was of timber construction and stood about 25 metres downstream of the present day crossing.

Being a wooden bridge it needed regular repairs due to floodwater damage and bridge hits by barges. By 1662 the residents of Chertsey were campaigning for a new bridge, but matters remained unresolved until the late 18th century. In 1779 the bridge was once again in a parlous state. The Justices of Surrey and Middlesex met and obtained estimates for a new stone bridge. James Paine, an architect from Addlestone designed the bridge and work got underway in the early 1780s. The original plan had been for a five arch bridge, but when this was completed there had clearly been an error in the measurements - the bridge didn't reach either bank! Further money had to be spent to build additional spans on both banks, but all was complete by 1785. But the bridge still stands to this day, and remains one of the Thames' oldest and elegant bridges.